STEVENS POINT — A packed house plastered in pink showed up to ‘Diggin’ the cause’ to support breast cancer awareness.

The Marshfield volleyball team swept in three winning 25-15, 25-14, 25-18 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference match against Stevens Point Area Senior High. Anna Ripp had 18 assists, while Stephanie Rhodes and Ema Fehrenbach added 10 and seven kills, respectively, in the Tigers' win.

Ally Miklesh led the Panthers with 18 assists and Brittany Flugaur had 10 digs. Stephanie Chizzo was on the attack as usual with nine kills.

“I thought they stayed focused, that was the biggest thing I was worried about tonight with everything going on,” Marshfield coach Rita Jasurda said. “We just wanted to come in and get the match done in three and they did that.”

While volleyball was the focus, the main mission was to spread awareness and raise money for local breast cancer patients. Proceeds will be going toward benefiting the breast care center fund at Ministry Saint Michael’s Hospital in Stevens Point.

Aside from the action on the court, there were raffles, baskets and prizes from 71 different donors including Panthers’ families and local businesses.

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SPASH 'Diggin' the cause' quilt made by Marcy Gerads as an Elite raffle item.(Photo: Nina N. Salazar/Stevens Point Journal Media)

Now an annual event, the pink out was started five years ago by the Williams family who had two daughters playing on the team, Molly and Haley.

Although the girls have since graduated, the family still helps to organize the event and Haley even came home from college to watch the game with her parents. The family was one of the leading donors this year as well.

Other organizers included Michelle Miklesh, mother of Ally and Megan, and Sherry Terpstra, mother of Riley. The daughters currently play for SPASH.

“My mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and so she’s recently started chemo,” senior Riley Terpstra said. “It’s really important for me that the cause and breast cancer awareness is prevalent in the area. We just want to make it more aware so other people know how much it can affect the other people in the area.”

The names of loved ones who have battled with breast cancer were read off for each player to show who they were playing for Thursday night.

SPASH senior Allie Berres also gave a moving speech before the match about her mother, Lynn, who recently died from cancer. The entire gym was silent and there were definitely some tears that were shed.

“I told (the team) this is something that all of them are going to be touched by at some point in their lives, whether it’s someone they know or themselves,” Jasurda said. “We went out and sold the T-shirts and I thought they did a really good job at that. For me it was playing for my grandmother.”

Both SPASH and Marshfield players were responsible for selling the T-shirts that filled the room, which had raised almost $7,000. Last year the event had its biggest year, raising over $12,000, and Sherry says they hope to match or beat that this year.